Scorpions to rock Dubai

Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and Matthias Jabs, the core members of the Scorpions, clearly love performing in front of an audience. And, with their new album Unbreakable, they prove that they will just not stop at the top

As teenaged hard rock fans in the early 1990s, our world was sharply divided: people who listened to heavy metal and people who didn't. The connection between the two races was shaky, and the route only navigable because of bands such as Guns 'n' Roses and the Scorpions.

They formed vital final links on the trip from thrash or death metal to pop - because even hardened headbangers would throw Scorpions songs such as Rock you like a hurricane a nod or two.

The pop faction (and the nearer swathes of the rock faction) loved the Scorpions' strong sense of tune, and of course their virtual synonimity with the term "power ballad". However, the later years and more recent albums - with the possible exception of Acoustica - haven't been as defining for the German band.

The Scorpions, by their own admission, entered a not-so-successful phase of experimentation that culminated in album Eye II Eye's toying with pop-techno melodies. In fact, in a recent interview with Entertainment Plus, Matthias Jabs, lead guitarist and composer of the Scorpions described the album as their "best mistake".

It is this attitude that could be behind the Scorpions' longevity. Not just the acknowledgement of an error, but the learning from it. At a time when generational rifts appeared in their fan base, and older fans suddenly didn't seem interested any more, something needed to be done.

The Scorpions did it: they plugged in their instruments and began to play. No more experiments for them, they were there to make the music of their past, the music that ensured they would not "stop at the top".

The result is their new album Unbreakable, out on home label BMG. Pushed as the German band's return to the "hard 'n' heavy arena", this disc bears the burden of bringing together the old and new generations of Scorpions fans - from Seattle to Seoul. And it is to promote Unbreakable that the Scorpions will be in Dubai for a concert on Wednesday at the Dubai Country Club.

Organisers Mirage Promotions have brought us a slew of pop and R&B concerts such as Blue, Bryan Ferry, Alicia Keys, Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey. But Thomas Ovesen, general manager, Mirage Promotions, is confident Dubai's cosmopolitan nature will welcome all kinds of music.

"The response has been fantastic so far and it's been reflected in ticket sales," he says. "I am sure the Scorpions will perform some of their latest hits, but also treat the audience with some of their timeless classics such as Wind of Change, Still Loving You, Big City Night and Moment of GloryŠ but you'll have to come to the show to find out!"

The Scorpions, he promises, are one of the best bands to see live and will put together "a fantastic gig that is sure to please Dubai's rock fans".

The members of the Scorpions clearly love being a live act. "There'll never be any substitute for live concerts with real music and real feelings," says Klaus Meine, singer and songwriter of the Scorpions, on the Unbreakable documentation.

He will be here on stage with the rest of the Scorpions power trio of Rudolf Schenker, founder, guitarist and composer, and Matthias Jabs, lead guitarist and composer. James Kottack will be on drums and Pawel Maciwoda will play bass.

On the first few listens, Unbreakable shows itself to be strong enough to live up to its name and task. Spirited riffs, bluesy leads and solid drumming support bracing tunes from one of the most recognisable sounds in rock: Klaus Meine's nasal intensity.

"With the new album," says Matthias Jabs, "we've returned to what the Scorpions are really all about. Hand-made rock music."

The tunes are a bit too crafted to be "hand-made", but it is still clearly music that comes from a group that loves what it does. It is this love and a strong friendship that have given the Scorpions their power over the years.

Of course rock fans will have examples of brilliant work that could only have come from flaming tensions between band members, but few of those relationships would last 35 years.

When & where
* The event: The Scorpions live.
* Venue: Dubai Country Club.
* Date: October 6.
* Time: Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 9pm.
* Tickets: Dh165.